Numerous types of combination vehicle alarm and locator systems are known in the field. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,742,233, 5,838,237, 5,884,199, 5,899,855, 5,913,827, 5,929,761, 5,959,529, 5,963,130, 6,028,514 and 6,094,140.
These cited prior art documents, as well as other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,233 to Hoffman et al. (Apr. 21, 1998) teaches a signaling system that comprises a portable signaling unit, a remote alarm switch device, a central dispatch station, a wireless communication system such as a cellular or telephone system, etc., and a GPS or like system. The portable signaling unit and the remote alarm switch can be adapted to be worn at different locations on the person's body. The remote alarm switch can be concealed in the form of a wristband or in the form of any other object such as a broach, pendant, or key chain. When the person in distress activates the remote alarm switch or when the remote alarm switch is removed from the individual by a forceful or unauthorized action or when the signaling unit is removed from the proximity of the remote alarm switch, the portable signaling unit sends a data transmission which includes its location to the central dispatch station. The portable signaling unit also has manual alarm trigger capabilities so it can be used without the remote alarm switch unit. The central dispatch station receives the data transmission and accurately displays the user identification, stored personal information, and nature of the alarm. In addition, the location of the portable signaling unit is superimposed on a digitized map at a position corresponding to the location of the person wearing the portable signaling unit. The portable signaling unit can be remotely activated from a central dispatch station to determine and monitor the location of the portable signaling unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,237 to Revell et al., (Nov. 17, 1998) teaches a self-contained personal alarm device capable of signaling its location to a remote site such as a security station. The personal alarm device includes a housing enclosing a controller, an antenna, a cellular transmitter and a cellular receiver. The controller is coupled to the transmitter and receiver, which are in turn coupled to the antenna. The controller controls the transmitter and the receiver to receive position location signals such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, establish a cellular connection with a remote site, and transmit device location data to the remote site on the cellular connection, wherein the device location data indicates the location of the device. The cellular connection is established via a cellular telecommunication network that includes an array of cell base stations. The GPS signals are transmitted to the device over the cellular network by providing each cell base station with a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) receiver. Using the DGPS receivers, GPS signals are repeated over the cellular network.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,199 to Maki (Mar. 16, 1999) teaches a portable wireless receiver that has a position locating function through reception of GPS satellite radio waves. The portable wireless receiver has a speaker/microphone unit including a GPS antenna, a speaker, and a microphone built into the unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,855 to Brown (May 4, 1999) teaches insertion of an internal housing frame into a pre-existing housing box provided for telephone line access. The frame accommodates a removable cover plate with custom cut holes designed for both lock (cam lock) and plunger switch (i.e. tamper switch). The original exterior cover plate is placed over the front of the inserted device so as to hold the plunger switch down in position, ready for alarm activation. The installation of the above device prevents or deters a would-be burglar from cutting or damaging telephone lines after removal of the exterior cover plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,827 to Gonnan (Jun. 22, 1999) teaches a personal monitor for monitoring a biomedical condition, such as a heart rate. A sensor provides a signal related to the biomedical condition and the signal is encoded for repeated wireless transmission to a receiver. An encoded identification signal is also repeatedly sent to the receiver to identify the transmitter to the receiver, to thereby prevent the adverse effects of interference that occur if signals other than those from the transmitter are received. The monitor detects deviations (errors) from an expected pattern and recovers from these deviations (error correction) to display an accurate value of the biomedical condition. If too many errors are present due to interference, faulty transmission and/or reception, etc., the frequency over which wireless transmission occurs can be changed. In one embodiment, the value of the biomedical condition is wirelessly sent to the receiver. In another embodiment, the value of the biomedical condition is determined in the receiver based on the encoded signal that is received. The receiver rejects all signals that are not from the transmitter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,761 to Van der Laan et al. (Jul. 27, 1999) teaches an alarm system comprising: a carrier unit; a base unit having an in-output for coupling to a communication network; an alarm monitoring station coupled to that network; wherein the carrier unit comprises a transmitter and an alarm switch coupled to an alarm input of the transmitter. By operating the alarm switch, the base unit is wirelessly activated by the carrier unit. Accordingly, the base unit makes connection with the communication network, and selects the access number of the alarm monitoring station. In accordance with Van der Laan's invention, the transmitter comprises a microphone input coupled to a microphone. Speech signals from the user are wirelessly transmitted by the transmitter to the base unit, which transmits these speech signals via the communication network to the alarm monitoring station.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,529 to Kail (Sep. 28, 1999) teaches an automated, real-time, reprogrammable monitoring and control system for portable, remote sensors and subjects including one or more portable monitoring units, each of the portable monitoring units having a sensor, a location-determining device, and a sensor interface unit. Each sensor interface unit is separately configured to monitor its sensor and to transmit that sensor's data, via a digital wireless communications network, to a central monitoring device. The portable unit is carried or worn by a person or animal, or affixed to an inanimate subject.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,130 to Schlager et al. (Oct. 5, 1999) teaches a self-locating remote monitoring system including a supervising base station and one or more remote monitoring units. A remote unit includes a navigational receiver operating with an existing navigational system for providing a remote unit location and includes a transmitter for communicating the location to the base station for display. The remote unit includes one or more physiological/environmental sensors for monitoring at the remote location. In a specific embodiment a change in sensor status results in the status and the location being transmitted to the base station. The base station includes alarms and displays responsive to the change in status. One embodiment defines a man-over-board system, which combines water immersion and distance from the base station to trigger an alarm and begin location tracking. Another embodiment defines an invisible fence system which uses location and time to define boundaries for containment and exclusion. Another embodiment includes a weather surveillance radar receiver providing weather parameters within a weather region and defines a remote weather alarm system. The weather alarm system uses the weather receiver to monitor weather within a defined region and to provide the base station with location and weather parameters if the parameters fall outside defined limits.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,514 to Lemelson et al. (Feb. 22, 2000) teaches a comprehensive system and method for monitoring a geographic person location, periodically warning a person of emergency situations in the geographic location, and transmitting requests for assistance in emergency situations. The system comprises a warning unit that is carried by the person or that is located in mobile units or in buildings or houses. The warning unit includes a geographic satellite receiver, a receiver circuit that receives broadcast warning signals defining dangerous situations and geographic locations of the situations, a computer controller including a processor and a memory, an alarm indicator that indicates when the person is in danger, and a transmission circuit that generates and transmits signals requesting assistance and signals warning of the dangerous situations in a vicinity of the person carrying the portable warning unit, along with the current geographic location of the person. The system further comprises a command center. The command center includes a database computer having a database storage unit, a transmitter for broadcasting signals to the unit(s), a receiver for receiving signals, a transmitter for transmitting signals to emergency response units and centers, and other such communication devices. The system uses the unit(s) to monitor and communicate with the person using it. The unit(s) interface with the command center through signals indicative of a dangerous situation and a geographic situation location, transmitted from the command center to the unit(s). The geographic person location is compared with the geographic situation location indicated in the received signal from the command center. Expert system rules are used to determine the dangerous situation and a degree(s) of danger index for the person(s) near or at the geographic situation location.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,140 to Parente (Jul. 25, 2000) teaches a portable locator system for alerting a central station of an emergency. The portable alarm system includes a central unit for monitoring a desired area and a remote panic device for activating and signaling the central unit. The central unit includes a detector for detecting an emergency situation and generating a signal in response thereto, a processor for receiving the detection signal and generating an alarm signal in response thereto, a receiver for receiving an emergency signal and providing the emergency signal to the processor and an alarm for alerting the central station upon receipt of one of the alarm signal and emergency signal. The remote panic device includes a device for generating the emergency signal upon receipt of a user generated command and a transmitter for transmitting the emergency signal to the receiver of the central unit. The detection device is a motion detector for detecting motion in an area surrounding the central unit and the remote panic device includes an activation button for generating a signal for activating the motion detector. The remote control unit further includes a button for generating a medical emergency signal and a panic signal for transmission to the central unit. The transmitter includes at least one of a modem for connecting to and transmitting the alarm signal to the central station via telephone lines and a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the alarm signal to the central station.
Thus, there is still a need for a panic device that can be used in conjunction with a local device external to the panic device to send location information to a dispatch station.